Next generation Octavia will “move upmarket”

The next generation Skoda Octavia will be bigger than the current model, allowing the vehicle to “move upmarket” from C-segment to D-segment, according to company sources.

In addition, the replacement model that will hit the market somewhere in 2013 will cost slightly more than today’s car, and more expensive higher-end versions are expected to join the line-up, Autocar reports.

“We will chop off the lower end and increase the price and specification. It will be more of a fleet proposition.”

The wheelbase will be stretched to 2,620mm (from 2,578mm) and the underpinning will be the Volkswagen MQB Platform.

Skoda sources are confident that the brand, once vilified, is now in a stronger position than some of Europe’s established volume car-makers.

Skoda models are proving hugely popular with customers in China, with the Fabia, Octavia and Superb regularly receiving important awards, including the Octavia being voted most dependable car in its class in 2011.

The automaker is celebrating five years of car production in China around 740,000 Skoda cars have been delivered to customers in China since July 2007.

The first model built and sold in the country was the Octavia in 2007. At almost half a million units produced, the Octavia is the most popular Skoda model in China.